A Bright New Day
by capctr
Summary: Immortality is great, but with perpetual youth, entertaining diversions can entertain for only so long. Carlyle loves his family, wanting only joy and freedom for them. He has several plans to make this happen...


** I am termed "the beloved tech-tard" by my ten year old daughter. That is why this is my first attempt at posting anything. I hope it works.**

**I am a thirty-nine year old father of three who has just returned to school, therefor my posts will be few and far in between. Please be patient with my inexperience at writing. I am hoping my ability will improve by the time I finish Eng 2010.**

**My wife is from Washington, we met at BYU (Go Cougars!), and I have three daughters. With so much estrogen in the house, I was bound enjoy the Twilight series.**

**Twilight is clearly the creation of the great Stephanie Meyer, to whom I owe a great debt for writing a story that I and my Beloved have been able to enjoy together. Below is my laughable attempt at finding my "Inner Edward". Please R/R.**

The Gift

It was another pleasant, quiet night in the Cullen household. The familiar atmosphere of contentment was present, as it often was.

Rosalie and Alice were quietly planning a shopping trip with Nessie to Seattle for the next day, in what had become a weekly tradition for them. With Nessie's continued growth having slowed down to an inch or two a month rather a week, it was still a challenge to keep her in fashionable clothing that fit properly. A challenge Alice embraced with enthusiasm.

Rosalie, while enjoying shopping, mostly went along for the simple joy she derived from being around her niece. It was an added bonus too see Alice have to learn how to bridle her passion for shopping in order to balance the trip with excursions to the Seattle Aquarium, the Science Center, and the zoo at Nessie's insistence.

Bella and Edward were sprawled on the floor in front of the fire playing chess. With her shield in place, Bella was the only person in the family capable of actually beating Edward at a game fair and square.

Jasper and Emmet were playing the latest violent video game, alternately being thrilled with the latest graphics, then rolling their eyes at how far short the game fell to when compared to actually fighting werewolves and vampires.

Carlyle surveyed his family from the couch, Esme curled up at his side. He was filled with a joyful yet nervous emotion.

"I believe it is time we have a family meeting." he said after needlessly clearing his throat.

Edward and Alice met his gaze and nodded knowingly, everybody else stopped what they were doing, looking at Carlyle expectantly.

"I would like you all to follow me to my lab." Carlyle said, standing up and walking out the door.

The lab was a building Carlyle and the boys built shortly after the showdown with the Volturri. Carlyle wanted a place where he could store all the medical equipment he had purchased for Bella during her pregnancy. He kept it in order to treat Jacob and his pack should the need ever arise. Esme was pleased due to the fact that she felt all of the equipment and medical supplies made the house, she felt, smell like a hospital. The building itself was located a thousand yards away from the house, down by the river, and made to look like a large and spacious log house.

Everybody followed to the Lab.

"Edward, what is this about?" asked Bella, quietly. "This is Carlyle's show." Edward murmured back, not wanting to spoil the surprise.

Carlyle let them into the Lab and then turned on the light. To the far side of the room were a half dozen, white partitions. Four of them had names on them, one each for Alice, Bella, Esme, and Rosalie.

"Towards the end of the nineteenth century, I had the chance to work with some of the times leading researchers on cell-theory. I was amazed at what they could discover and learn with their limited human resources. I took their theories and studied them, approaching these thoughts using many of the natural gifts we share as vampires. I was fascinated by the possibilities." Carlyle went on with a distant look on his face.

"Ten years later, I met the boy who would become my first son." Carlyle continued, glancing warmly at Edward. "Within a handful of years the rest of you came along, until finally, a couple of years ago we were joined by Bella, who has brought nothing but joy and wonder to our lives. With the exception of Alice and Jasper, I either caused your translation from human to vampire, or I at least had a hand in the process. Therefor, I must admit that I have secretly done something. I kept, and preserved as much of your mortality as I could. I don't know why exactly, perhaps out of guilt for robbing you of your deaths."

Looking at Edward, he went on."I saved hair and blood from each of you prior to your change. Edward,Esme, Rosalie, Emmet, and Bella. With Bella I simply kept a blood sample in a test tube, flash frozen. The rest of you I did the same albeit in a more primitive fashion. I was barely able to preserve enough viable genetic matter, but it was enough."

"Enough for what?" asked Eseme, bewildered.

"For several things, the most important being this..." and with a flourish, Carlyle pulled back the curtain marked with his wifes name.

There, inside a large, sterilized, clear container, hooked up to a number of tubes and whirring electrical equipment was what looked like, "...a uterus. More specifically," he went on, looking at Eseme meaningfully, " a clone of your uterus when you were human. I have successfully cloned a replica of the uterus you had when you were mortal".

"But how? Why?".

"From your blood cells, I was able to start the process, and with a few modification, I was able to cultivate specialized cells which I was able to direct to form into specific organs. I could have made a heart, kidney, or liver. But as you are immortal, you wont be needing any kind of transplant." Carlyle said with a wink."But recreating your womb, with all the eggs you were born with, well remember, male vampires are frozen in a state of constant virility. Eseme, we can, with effort, have children, like Edward and Bella have Nessie. We can all," he went on, looking at Rosalie,"have children.".

Rosalie's hand went to her mouth, and she dashed to the curtain with her name on it, throwing it back. Sure enough, there in an identical container was..."my womb" she said, quietly. "Our womb." Emmet corrected her quietly, gently putting both hands on her shoulders.

"We can finally have children" Rosalie wrapped her arms around Carlyle in a fierce hug, sobbing without tears. "Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou... ".

"What do we do Carlyle," Emmet asked. "How do we get this started?"

"I am glad you asked, son," his father replied with a twinkle in his eye. "I think you are going to love this..."

Edward burst out laughing. "Poetic retribution! Bella, prepare yourself to witness Emmet getting a taste of his own medicine." he said, silkily.

"What?" asked Emmet, with a trace of suspicion.

"Well," said Carlyle, grinning,"since the wombs are cloned from cells taken from the girls mortal bodies, they are clearly not compatible with their immortal bodies. Which means they have to stay within the confines of the carefully regulated enviornments I have created for them."

"So?" asked a confused Emmet.

"Emmet," said Edward, "the eggs are in the ovaries, which are connected to the wombs. How many times have you had to sit through high school biology-didn't you learn anything?"

Emmet stared back, uncomprehendingly.

"Do the words 'artificial insemination' mean anything to you?" asked Edward with a sigh.

Emmet's jaw went slack. "You mean, the only way to make this happen is if..." he trailed off, unable to say it.

"If the egg has been fertilized" Carlyle finished for him gently.

"And the only way that can be done..."

"Is by obtaining a sample of your...'junk." Edward said, smugly.

"No way!" breathed Emmet. "It's not right. It's immoral. It's not manly!" he protested.

"Um, Emmet?" Bella asked with relish. "You do remember that you live in a house with vampires, right?"

"So?" Emmet repeated.

"So," Bella went on, with a wicked gleam in her eyes, "we have amazing hearing. Do you honestly believe we can't hear you in your bedroom when Rosalie goes off with Alice on those overnight shopping trips?"

Emmet couldn't blush, but he did look thunderstruck..

"You can hear that?" he asked weakly.

"Every stroke." Bella confirmed.

"So this is how it feels to be Bella." muttered Emmet.

"Oh, get over yourself, darling." Rosalie crowed. "That is such a small price to pay for something I have so longed for."

Jasper snickered, elbowing Alice. "She said 'small'".

Alice looked up at him, trying to decide wether to hit him, or join in his laughter.

"Wait a minute," said Bella. "Carlyle, you said you cloned our wombs from our mortal cells. Alice was changed before we met her, yet I see her name here."

"I can answer that." Alice volunteered. "The first vision I had after changing, was meeting Jasper, what was also included in that was meeting my new family- and the importance of preserving my bloodied and torn clothing. I did not understand at the time, I did it however, and after picking out my new room, I gave it to Carlyle." She finished softly.

"Her new room." Edward snorted.

Alice grinned insolently at him.

"That is right," confirmed Carlyle. "I believe your exact words were 'Here. You will know what to do with this in sixty-three years, two weeks, six days, eight hours, twelve minutes, and fifty-two seconds. And darned if I didn't."

"Alice, you knew this would happen- and you never told me? Never gave me words of hope to lift my sorrow?" Rosalie asked, outraged.

"I only knew to save my dress," Alice replied gently. "not why."

"Oh." said Rosalie, mollified. "I'm sorry."

"No problem." forgave Alice with a smile.

"So," Rosalie looked at her father. "when can we start?"

"Right now," said Carlyle. "your wombs are at their peak of fertility for the month."

"Wait a minute," said Bella, sharply. "are you telling me they actually go through a cycle?".

"It wouldn't be possible to do what we are going to do if they didn't." Carlyle replied gently.

"Thats all I need to know. Come on Emmet," said Rosalie excitedly, dragging him by the hand. "Lets do this!"

But Rose," Emmet whined.

"Yes?" she replied, arching an eyebrow.

"Uh, nothing." said Emmet, conceding defeat.

"Smart man." said Rose.

"Oh Rosalie?" called Carlyle "You will need one of these." he tossed her a sterilized container with a lid on it.

"Thanks." she laughed, snatching it out of the air without looking back.

With that, Alice, Eseme, and Bella grabbed their husbands hands, dragging them off to their respective bedrooms, with their containers.

"Meet back here in an hour," Carlyle called out with a laugh. "I have a few other things to show you after we fertilize your eggs."

"Does he have any idea how weird that sounds coming out of his mouth?" Jasper asked Alice.

"Who cares? Just keep moving." was her response as she drug him to their bedroom at top speed.

Chapter Two: Hope, Joy, and Something Else

Everybody returned exactly one hour later, the specimens tightly clasped in the girls hands.

"Romance is dead." lamented Emmet mournfully.

"Don't be such a baby," Rosalie chided " its not like you had to do it all yourself."

"I never would have suspected you of having such a deep streak of prudishness Emmet." Bella snickered.

"Alright everyone, lets finish up here, I still have some more surprises in store" Carlyle called out as he put on a pair of sterile gloves.

"Gee Doc, worried one of us is carrying an STD?" Emmet teased.

Carlyle blanched, looking down at his hands. "Sorry, force of habit I suppose, keeping up with the image for humans." Then, rubbing his hands together said "So who is first? Rosalie?"

"Actually, I think that honor should go to Eseme. You can show us how it is done, and then supervise us as we do it ourselves. Just because the procreative process is different, does not mean we shouldn't keep the process between the prospective parents as much as possible." Rosalie said quietly.

Carlyle slapped his head, "Of course! I can be a bit foolish sometimes. My apologies."

Taking a odd looking syringe, he loaded it with his specimen. "It is quite simple really, you just inject your samples into this port here." He inserted the large gage needle into a certain tube. "The delivery system takes the semen directly to the egg which is attached to the uterine wall. Fertilization occurs, then, given Bella's experience, I estimate twenty-three days until gestational completion."

Carlyle thought for a minute, then said "I feel I should warn you, in the process of developing these...tanks for a lack of a better word, I am using a large amount of fertility drugs. There is a signifigent chance of multiple births."

"Wonderful." breathed Rosalie, looking happier than anyone had ever seen her.

"Hey, if we are going to do it, lets do it right. The more the better." said Emmet, catching his wifes enthusiasm.

Carlyle demonstrated, then walked everybody through it,

"Carlyle," Bella said. "I remember all the human blood I had to drink when I was pregnant with Nessie. Do you have readily available stores?"

"That is the next surprise I want to share with you," said Carlisle.

.


End file.
